[Nfbf-l] Guide Dogs in the Work Place

[Carlos J MontasAS]

Thanks for sending this article.
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From: "Alan Dicey" <adicey at bellsouth.net>
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Sent: Friday, April 19, 2013 5:07 AM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Guide Dogs in the Work Place


> Guide Dogs in the Work Place
> by John Justice
> When  a newly matched dog and handler return home after training, one of 
> the most difficult decisions is how to deal with fellow employees in the 
> work place.  For the most part, each person has his or her own set of 
> rules to go by but there are some essential points that should be made, 
> especially when the dog-and-human team are new to guide-dog work.  This 
> article will attempt to cover the most important issues a visually 
> impaired employee might encounter when arriving at work with a newly 
> trained dog.
> To begin with, the dog and human are still experiencing the bonding 
> process.
> That requires that the dog focus his attention strictly on the blind 
> handler.  Anything that might distract the dog from this essential part of 
> training should be avoided at all costs.  Simple, easy-to-follow rules 
> should be established by the dog handler and no exceptions whatsoever 
> should be made to those rules.  No co-worker should be permitted to do 
> anything which might distract the dog from his primary purpose, working 
> with the blind handler.
> These dogs are not pets!  That is something which should be emphasized 
> most strongly.  If that single factor is kept in the forefront of any 
> decision, it should be easier to determine just how to handle any 
> situation.  Time and time again, the guide-dog instructors will have 
> mentioned this in one form or another.  Nothing should ever be allowed to 
> take precedence over that single, immutable fact. The dog is at work for 
> one reason and that is to guide the visually impaired handler safely and 
> effectively.
> Whenever possible, the dog should not be fed in the work place.  There are 
> always exceptions to this rule, of course.  But if the dog has to be given 
> food, it should be done in a quiet, restricted area such as the lavatory.
> At no time should anyone other than the dog's handler be permitted to feed 
> the guide dog.     Providing unrestricted access to a water dish is not 
> always a good idea since the dog's intake should be limited and 
> controlled. The old adage "What goes in must come out" is something to 
> keep in mind.  In most work situations, the animal will be required to 
> wait quietly for a considerable length of time.  If the dog's bladder is 
> full, this may become difficult and accidents may occur.  Until the dog 
> accepts the work area as a part of his world, the same restrictions 
> regarding vacating a bladder might not be as strong in the animal's mind. 
> He or she might never think of going in the home but that same training 
> might not apply to a strange environment.
> At no time should anyone be permitted to park the dog except in extreme 
> emergencies. A dog will naturally attach feeding and parking to his human 
> and nothing should detract from that part of the bonding process.
> To Pet or Not to Pet
> There are as many theories about this situation as there are guide dogs.
> But the one thing most trainers and handlers agree on is that petting by 
> strangers should be avoided if not severely limited during the bonding 
> process.  For some dogs, that bonding will take months.  Even a seasoned 
> guide dog might become distracted if too much attention is paid to him by 
> someone other than the handler.  There have been cases in which the dog 
> expressed an unfortunate preference for someone else in the family to the 
> exclusion of the owner. This is certainly understandable given the fact 
> that the handler must insist that the dog perform certain functions, while 
> a friend or family member will not have to impose that kind of 
> restriction.
> The dog, naturally, will prefer the company of someone who means fun or 
> food over the person who puts pressure on him to perform.  Not all dogs 
> enjoy working.  When it comes right down to it, pulling someone around in 
> a harness isn't part of a dog's instinctive behavior.
> Establishing and Maintaining Rules for Co-Workers
> There are many factors which go into a successful working relationship 
> with co-workers.  But one thing is almost unilateral - if a person is 
> working, he or she has to follow rules.  That is part of how a successful 
> business functions.  If co-workers know what is expected of them, they 
> will be much more likely to cooperate.  Establishing and maintaining rules 
> of comportment where the guide dog is concerned will take a mixture of 
> logic, understanding and determination.  Dogs can be friendly as part of 
> their nature.  This is especially true of the various Retriever breeds. 
> They want to be petted and fussed over.  Add to that the fact that having 
> a dog at work is unusual.  If the dog appears friendly, people will want 
> to pet him.  Some others will try to avoid being close to the dog as a 
> part of their normal response to animals.  However, we are now dealing 
> with a highly trained guide dog. Having a set of rules printed and 
> distributed with the cooperation of the management is an excellent plan of 
> action.  If the management is supporting these rules, then the employees 
> will be more inclined to work within their limits.  The best thing to do 
> is to sit down for a while and think about what kind of working conditions 
> are involved.What kind of working environment are you in?  Do you work in 
> a small office or in a larger area such as a call center or data-entry 
> pool? Your dog's exposure to people will be impacted by that kind of 
> working condition.Can you restrict access to your dog in some way?  If the 
> dog is out of sight, that tends to limit the interest of passing 
> co-workers.  If the dog is visible and easily accessible, people will find 
> a way to pet him.How does your dog react to contact with strangers? 
> Today, most guide dogs are basically friendly but there is some difference 
> in how each dog responds to attention from others. At first, limiting that 
> attention or eliminating it entirely is always best for the dog/human 
> bonding process.
> Can you get your dog under control if he begins to respond to the 
> attention of strangers?  If you lose control, you lose your guide dog's 
> usefulness for as long as it takes to reestablish the fact that you are 
> the one he should be putting first.  With a new dog, that is a clear and 
> present danger. Whatever it takes, you must retain contact with your guide 
> dog.
> Parking Your Dog
> Where you take your dog to relieve himself will be dictated by the kind of 
> environment you work in.  But there are some basic ideas to keep in mind. 
> Until the dog becomes comfortable with his surroundings, he may not be 
> willing to go at all.Whenever possible, a quiet area with minimal traffic 
> is best.  If the dog has few distractions, the parking process is more 
> likely to succeed.  The same area should be used each time since the dog 
> will recognize his own scent and be comforted by that.  Remaining calm 
> yourself is a surprisingly strong influence on your dog's own demeanor. 
> If his human companion shows tension or demonstrates uneasiness, the dog 
> will most certainly pick up on that and respond to it.Today's guide-dog 
> handler is always taught to pick up after the animal. Many cities and 
> towns have regulations which insist that an owner not leave any evidence 
> that his or her dog has been visiting.  But what to do with the bag after 
> everything has been successfully completed is always a question of 
> planning and knowing your surroundings.  Some employers have gone to the 
> extreme of providing special containers for the disposal of the dog's 
> solid waste.  In most cases, there are usually outside trash cans which 
> will solve the problem. But this is one activity which should be kept 
> absolutely private.  The presence of anyone else might distract the dog 
> enough to prevent nature from taking its course.  No matter what the 
> provocation, never ever bring the baggies back into the building.
> Grooming and Dog Fur
> One of the most difficult problems a dog owner may encounter is in dealing 
> with his or her guide dog's fur.  No matter how hard we try, dogs do shed, 
> some more than others.  If the work area is carpeted, an amazing amount of 
> fur can collect when the dog stays in one particular place.  During 
> certain seasonal changes, the dogs will "blow their coats" at an alarming 
> rate.  Our only weapon against this invader is continuous and careful 
> grooming.  The more hair we remove, the less likely it is that it will end 
> up on our clothing, the carpets, upholstery in vehicles or on other 
> people's garments. If one of your co-workers doesn't particularly like 
> animals and then finds dog hair on his or her clothes, the result may be 
> some kind of confrontation or even a complaint to the management. 
> Brushing the dog every day before work is something that is recommended 
> (though isn't often practiced).  But in the final analysis, that is our 
> only defense.
> Removing hair from our own clothes can be accomplished with relative ease 
> by a device called a "Lint Roller" which is designed with sheets of sticky 
> film which, when rolled over pants, skirts, blouses and coats, does remove 
> an incredible amount of loose hair.  There are other devices like lint 
> brushes which have short, stiff bristles that can also be used for the 
> same purpose. How we appear to our sighted co-workers is important to 
> them, if not to us. People with sight rely on it for a large part of the 
> input they use from day to day.
> Finally, a word or two to the cleaning staff might help with the fur which 
> collects in the area where the guide dog rests during each work day.
> Warning!  Please Read!
> The one piece of advice that can be offered to any new guide-dog user 
> without reservation is this:  Maintaining a low profile with your dog is 
> always best.  Attention of any kind, even the most well intended, can be 
> damaging to a new relationship between dog and master.  Encouraging your 
> co-workers to keep their distance and to give you and your new dog a 
> chance to learn and grow is the best course of action.  A new dog/human 
> relationship can be compared to the sprouting of a new plant.  Too much 
> handling, especially by someone who doesn't know and understand the way to 
> do it, can only cause harm.  There have been extreme cases in which a dog 
> had to be returned because the human handler had lost all control of the 
> situation.  It just isn't worth taking that kind of chance.  Your new dog 
> is a rare and precious thing.  Don't allow well-meaning heavy-handed 
> strangers to deprive you of one of life's most marvelous experiences.
> Thank you for taking the time to read this information.
> John and Linda Justice
> with Guide Dogs Jake and Zachary
>
>
>
>
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